The Invisible Backbone: Why Data Centers are Everyone’s Business
There has been a lot of talk lately regarding the construction of data centers in Frederick County, VA, and the movement to halt them. However, there are several "inconvenient facts" that have been largely omitted from the conversation—until now!
I have said it before, and it bears repeating: people want the services these data centers provide, but they just do not want the centers in their "backyard". The reality is that if they aren’t in your backyard, they have to be built in someone else's. Would you feel any better if they were built in a family member's "backyard," on the other side of town, as long as it wasn’t yours?
If the community truly wants to stop data center expansion, they need to stop using the services they house. However, that is easier said than done. Most people have no idea how many daily essential tasks are powered by these facilities, much less how they actually function.
A World Powered by Data Centers
Consider just a fraction of the services we take for granted that are housed in these facilities:
- Daily Communication: Almost the entire internet, including digital banking, Facebook, Gmail, news and weather websites, and X (formerly Twitter).
- Entertainment: Streaming giants like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, SiriusXM, Spotify, and YouTube.
- Infrastructure: Nearly every app on your phone requires a data center to function. Even basic cellular communication—a massive operation facilitating the approximately 3.1 billion cell phone calls made daily, none of which could be completed without data centers.
- The Gig Economy: Essential delivery and ride-share apps like DoorDash, Grubhub, Lyft, and Uber.
- The VOIP Explosion: Another 5.8 billion calls are made through VOIP services like FaceTime, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and Zoom. As more people work from home using "office" landline phone numbers via VOIP, this volume is increasing by about 10% annually.
A perfect example of how reliant society has become on technology is that people have been known to call 911 simply because Facebook went offline.
Scalability and Resilience
Major platforms do not "live" on a single server; they reside on millions. Accirding to Nationaal Telecoummunications and Information Administration (NITA), over 5,000 data centers were in operation in 2024 and the number is expected to continue to climb through at least 2030. (AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: A Watershed Moment, 2026)
According to Meta's April 2026 Infrastructure Report, the company operates a global fleet of 32 data centers, 27 in the U.S.. Financial data from Meta's 2025 Annual Report (Form 10-K) and Q1 2026 Earnings—which show a capital expenditure of $72.2 billion for 2025—support industry estimates from Blackridge Research and Argus Media placing Meta's active server count between 1.5 and 2 million units to support its global user base and AI initiatives.
Industry estimates from 2025/2026 infrastructure reports by Brightlio and Argus Media place Alphabet’s global server count between 3.5 and 5 million systems operating in 42 to 52 major data center campuses globally. This is corroborated by Alphabet’s 2025 SEC Form 10-K and Q4 2025 Earnings Release, which show a massive $91.4 billion investment in technical infrastructure. The company plans to double the amount it spent in 2025 ($91.4 billion) to $175-$185 in 2026 for data centers. (Alphabet to Hike Data Center Spending in 2026)
As our digital footprint expands, so must the infrastructure that supports it.
Without getting too technical, the traffic hitting these servers is "load balanced" across all servers in a region—such as the East Coast or the Mid-Atlantic. This ensures each server “pulls its own weight,” prevents single servers from being overworked, and creates redundancy. If one server or even an entire server cluster goes down, other clusters or data centers immediately pick up the slack. Most users never notice a hiccup. (Cloud Load Balancing Overview.)
The complexity of how these servers work together is immense; entire volumes have been written on the subject. There are even rigorous professional certifications, both vendor-specific and vendor-neutral, for the technicians who keep these centers functional.
The Economic Impact
Data centers are not just "power-hungry warehouses" — they provide highly skilled, essential jobs that keep our digital world running, cooled, and secure. These facilities require:
- Critical Infrastructure Specialists: facilities maintenance, HVAC technicians and master electricians. (Data Center Staffing 101: Roles Every Facility Needs to Run Smoothly.)
- Security Experts: Cybersecurity engineers and physical security personnel.
- Technology Professionals: Computer, network, and server technicians.
(Cendejas, 2023)
Salaries for these roles reflect their importance, ranging from $51,100 for entry-level technicians to over $194.8000 for senior cybersecurity engineers. Mike Row has said he met a data center electrician making $260,000. (Soave, 2026))
Tax Revenue and Local Relief
Beyond employment, these centers provide a massive tax base. In Virginia communities where data centers are established, they are a primary factor in preventing real estate tax increases or even driving decreases:
- Equipment Taxation: The hardware inside these centers is typically replaced every three to five years, generating a recurring tax revenue basis as new equipment is assessed.
- Loudoun County: Raised $875 million in data center tax revenue in FY2024 alone. (Loudoun County Data Center Tax Revenue Assessed Value)
- Prince William County: The real estate tax rate dropped from 1.125 in 2020 to 0.906 in early 2026 due to revenue collected from these facilities. The tax rate is expected to drop further in 2027 to $0.865.(Santos )
- Quantum Frederick: Located in Frederick, Maryland, this project has already generated over $50 million in recordation tax revenue as of late 2025. (2025 Frederick County Budget Report)
Estimates suggest that once approved data centers in our area are fully operational, they could potentially generate $68.8 million annually in property taxes.
Power and Policy
Data centers are power-hungry, drawing anywhere from 50 kilowatts to more than 100 megawatts depending on their scale. However, on March 4, 2026, President Donald Trump issued the Ratepayer Protection Pledge Proclamation. This initiative ensures that the power demands of new data centers do not increase electricity costs for residential consumers: (Kotkiewicz, 2026)
- Leading Hyperscalers: Companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI signed a pledge to build or purchase new power generation resources specifically for their new facilities.
- Grid Resilience: Signatories will coordinate with grid operators to make their backup power generation available to the public during emergencies or shortages.
- Infrastructure Costs: These companies agreed to pay the full cost of power delivery upgrades, ensuring costs are not passed on to ordinary ratepayers.
- Local Talent: They have pledged to hire and train talent from within local communities, potentially creating thousands of jobs.
(Kotkiewicz, 2026)
Additionally, as of May 2026, the administration is considering an Executive Order focused on Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs). This could "supercharge" existing power lines, increasing capacity by 10% to 100% to alleviate the decade-long wait times for new grid infrastructure. U.S. Department of Energy Announces $35 Million to Triple U.S. Transmission Capacity
Environmental Stewardship
While data centers use large amounts of water for cooling, these effects can be mitigated. Modern facilities are increasingly using "closed-loop" systems (Closed-Loop Cooling in Oracle AI Data Centers, 2026) or collecting significant runoff from parking lots, roofs, and other hard surfaces to supplement their cooling needs.(Importance of Rainwater Harvesting Solutions for Data Centres, 2026) By implementing these sustainable practices, data centers can remain the backbone of our digital lives while remaining responsible neighbors to our local environment.
References
* “AI, Data Centers, and the U.S. Electric Grid: A Watershed Moment.” The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 10 Feb. 2026, www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/ai-data-centers-us-electric-grid.
* Media, Argus. “Alphabet to Hike Data Center Spending in 2026.” Argusmedia.com, Argus Media, 5 Feb. 2026, www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2785404-alphabet-to-hike-data-center-spending-in-2026.
* Cloud Load Balancing Overview.” Google Cloud Documentation, 2025, docs.cloud.google.com/load-balancing/docs/load-balancing-overview." target="_blank">Cloud Load Balancing Overview.” Google Cloud Documentation, 2025, docs.cloud.google.com/load-balancing/docs/load-balancing-overview.
NSC Staffing. “Data Center Staffing 101: Roles Every Facility Needs to Run Smoothly.” Nscstaffing.com, NSC Staffing, 16 Sept. 2025, nscstaffing.com/data-center-staffing-101-roles-every-facility-needs-to-run-smoothly. Accessed 9 May 2026.
Cendejas, David. “The Physical Aspects of Data Center Security.” Coresite.com, CoreSite, 23 June 2023, www.coresite.com/blog/the-physical-aspects-of-data-center-security.
“Datacenter.” ZipRecruiter, 2026, www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Datacenter-Salary--in-Virginia. Accessed 9 May 2026.
Soave, Robby. “Mike Rowe Reveals HUGE Salaries of Data Center Electricians: $260,000!” YouTube, 7 May 2026, youtu.be/H-53lHeJ_xM?t=81.
* Loudoun County Data Center Tax Revenue Assessed Value by Square Foot for Every Dollar Loudoun County Spends on Public Services for Asssessment Value/Sq Ft Office Data Center Flex/Industrial Retail. 2015.
* Santos, Eunice. “Fox Homes Team.” FoxesSellFaster.com, 6 May 2026, www.foxessellfaster.com/blog/prince-william-county-property-tax-2026/ Accessed 9 May 2026.
* Fitzwater, Jessica. FREDERICK COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICE of the COUNTY EXECUTIVE.
* Kotkiewicz, Jacqueline. “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Advances Energy Affordability with the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” The White House, 4 Mar. 2026, www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-advances-energy-affordability-with-the-ratepayer-protection-pledge/.
* U.S. Department of Energy Announces $35 Million to Triple U.S. Transmission Capacity | ARPA-E.” Energy.gov, 2026, arpa-e.energy.gov/news-and-events/news-and-insights/us-department-energy-announces-35-million-triple-us-transmission-capacity. Accessed 9 May 2026.
“Closed-Loop Cooling in Oracle AI Data Centers.” Oracle.com, 2026, www.oracle.com/news/announcement/blog/closed-loop-cooling-in-oracle-ai-data-centers-2026-02-09/.
“Importance of Rainwater Harvesting Solutions for Data Centres.” Purite, 20 Feb. 2024, purite.com/importance-of-rainwater-harvesting-solutions-for-data-centres/.
